Grafton High field hockey players work hard on conditioning to gain an edge

Marty O'Brien, mobrien@dailypress.com | 757-247-4963

YORK — Getting out of bed for an 8 a.m. field hockey practice isn't exactly hell, but it is a good two or three hours before Gina Lawson and many of her Grafton High teammates were rising this summer prior to the opening day of practice Monday.

Waking up that early, then facing the four days of fitness tests Coach Brooke Feiner had waiting for them is why the Clippers players refer to their first practices as "hell week." Not that any of the girls are complaining.

Seniors including Lawson, Caroline Beaudoin, Julia Young and Kaylee Maunz realize their hard work has been rewarded with three consecutive A/AA state tournament appearances, including a spot in last year's final. They understand that more of the same is the only way they can take that final step to a state title.

"Getting that close, they want to push themselves harder," said Feiner, whose Clippers lost to four-time defending champion Tabb in last year's state title game. "They want to know what it's like to be on the other side of that game."

Lawson said, "One of the biggest things we have over other teams is our fitness. That plays a role in being able to go 100 percent the entire game, which is a big part of our success."

A number of the Clippers, particularly college-bound ones like Beaudoin (Stanford), Young (North Carolina) and Maunz (Virginia Commonwealth), maintain their fitness and sharpen their games during the summer with club teams. Others, like Lawson and nine or so other Clippers, conditioned under Feiner's supervision three nights a week during the summer.

The team's summer workouts included running, footwork drills and core-strengthening exercises. Then Feiner evaluates everyone's fitness the first four days of the season with her tests.

Feiner, the Clippers third-year coach, doesn't ease her players into things either, hitting them with "The Gauntlet" the first day of practice. The gauntlet is a series of interval runs, starting with 400 meters, followed by an 800, 1,200, another 800 and finally a 400.

"It definitely shows who's in shape and who's been working hard and who hasn't," Young said. "It good for us to be in shape and have the hard workouts during tryout week, but it's definitely a 'hell week' to come out at 8 a.m. and do a hard workout."

Lawson said, "The first day is probably the hardest. It's the first time you're getting up (early) in a while and you're coming out doing this really hard run.

"But I also thought (Wednesday) was really hard, the 400 and 800 intervals, because I'm not a long distance sprinter and I hate the 800."

Tuesday's test was a 1 1/2 mile run. Following the 400/800 intervals Wednesday, the Clippers final test Thursday was to run a mile in eight minutes. That's comparatively easy for most of the players, but, as with the first three days of tests, Feiner adds on up to 10 full-field sprints for more conditioning.

Then the Clippers practice for two-plus hours, break, and practice two more hours in the afternoon. Feiner requires that her players be in shape to start the season so that they can get to work immediately on tactics, and so they possess the kind of stamina to carry them to victory late in close games.

"The vast majority of these players have met the (test) goals I've set for them, so I'm very pleased," Feiner said. "I want them to be able to keep pushing when they're exhausted.

Lawson said the players understand, adding, "That's what fitness does for you. Conditioning gets you through the final 10 minutes or overtime or double-overtime."

Hell week also seems to build esprit de corps. One of the younger players lagged far behind on the final lap of the mile as everyone else finished. So, three of her teammates, underclassmen who had just finished, trotted across the field and ran the final 200 yards while encouraging her.

"There's a lot of camaraderie on this team," Feiner said.

Enough for the Clippers to compete for a state title? Work ethic certainly won't be a problem.

"A lot of people have worked hard on conditioning because we want to get better," Young said. "Getting to the state tournament definitely makes me want to work, because it's fun."

Lawson said, "Getting back to the state championship game is a motivator for me and I know the rest of my teammates, too, because we really want the opportunity to become No. 1."